ring – Champagne Gem https://champagnegem.com Your Daily Dose of Sparkle Mon, 17 May 2021 07:50:30 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.0.11 https://i0.wp.com/champagnegem.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/image.jpg?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 ring – Champagne Gem https://champagnegem.com 32 32 150190005 Iconic Red Carpet Jewelry Moments 2011-2020 https://champagnegem.com/2021/05/iconic-red-carpet-jewelry-moments-2011-2020/ https://champagnegem.com/2021/05/iconic-red-carpet-jewelry-moments-2011-2020/#comments Thu, 13 May 2021 10:42:59 +0000 https://champagnegem.com/?p=7789 Over the past decade, there were hundreds of red carpet events and each had stars dripping in gems and jewelry. Here is a highlight of each year from 2011-2020 chosen from many events and pieces. In my opinion, featured pieces are the most iconic red carpet jewelry in the past decade. Each year shows the evolution of jewelry trends as well as a strong desire for timeless pieces. Amongst the selected pieces, diamonds carrying most of the weight as the main stone followed closely by the prominent presence of emeralds. It was a hard decision to pick few pieces from each year but this is just the tip of the iceberg. By searching every single event for each year, the number of spectacular jewelry is astonishing. Scrolling down when you reach 2020, you will see a dramatic decrease in choices. Due to COVID-19 and the global pandemic, all the award shows and events canceled/postponed, or broadcasted without the red carpet and audience throughout 2020, like Emmys. As for 2021, we had a promising start, so stay tuned for a complete report by end of the year. It took me almost a week to put together my list of favorites and iconic moments, I am sure many of you might disagree about which piece should’ve made the cut or not. Leave in comments your favorites from this selection and any that are missing.

2011

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2012

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2013

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2014

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2015

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2016

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2017

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2018

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2019

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2020

(the year of pandemic which caused cancelation of many award shows)

Click to view slideshow.

*Please contact me for image credit correction.

 

 

]]> https://champagnegem.com/2021/05/iconic-red-carpet-jewelry-moments-2011-2020/feed/ 1 7789 The Heart of Oklahoma Diamond meets The Art of A Handmade Masterpiece https://champagnegem.com/2019/11/the-heart-of-oklahoma-diamond-meets-the-art-of-a-handmade-masterpiece/ https://champagnegem.com/2019/11/the-heart-of-oklahoma-diamond-meets-the-art-of-a-handmade-masterpiece/#respond Thu, 28 Nov 2019 00:41:42 +0000 https://champagnegem.com/?p=5496 On November 14th during a marvelous evening filled with art, music and ballet, Harry Kotlar in partnership with B.C. Clark unveiled a handmade masterpiece that is cradling The Heart of Oklahoma Diamond!

  • Mitchell Clark, Coleman Clark, Czarah Cabrera, Ace Salvador, David Wiener – Photography by Luxiere
  • The Masterpiece
  • Mitchell Clark, Coleman Clark, Jim Clark – Photography by Ryan Magnani

The Heart of Oklahoma Diamond is a symbol of a long lasting family business established in 1892 by B.C. Clark. Still family owned with Jim, Coleman and Mitchell Clark at the helm of the brand, B.C. Clark is a prominent jewelry house in Oklahoma. After nearly seven years of searching the globe, finally B.C. Clark family found the one diamond that would honor their family legacy!

A 38.05ct rough diamond was discovered from the ocean floor just off the coast of Namibia, Africa at the depth of 140 meters via De Beers Debmarine Namibia Vessel. The stone was laser-sawn to two parts, yielding a magnificent 18.92ct not only to fit BC Clark’s desire carat size (company’s founding year) but to create the most brilliant diamond with fancy intense yellow color that is as radiant as Oklahoma sunset! There is a SOL to the Heart of Oklahoma, a beautiful 5.01ct fancy yellow radiant-cut diamond yield from the same rough. The Heart of Oklahoma Diamond is a fascinating 18.92ct fancy intense yellow, internally flawless radiant cut diamond.

THE GENESIS EXHIBITION

  • DISCOVERY OF THE ROUGH
  • THE ROUGH DIAMOND
  • HEART & SOL

After perfecting the diamond, B.C. Clark partnered with Harry Kotlar to use their old world technique of hand making jewelry. Harry Kotlar studied the family business, origin, B.C. Clark Sr. adventures back in the 1800’s in Indian & Oklahoma territories, the age of industrialism and steam locomotives to finally design a masterpiece that reminiscent all of the characteristics and legacy of B.C. Clark. The result is a sensational handmade masterpiece cradling The Heart of Oklahoma Diamond flanked with six perfectly custom cut tapered baguette diamonds. There is a surprise disc underneath the stone, a rose-gold disc representing the railway turntable in Purcell that is a significant part in B.C. Clark, Sr.’s voyage to find success in Indian Territory back in 1892.

  • The Heart of Oklahoma & Sol Diamond
  • The Heart Of Oklahoma Diamond Inscription

It all started with a geometric design, a rough sketch and David Wiener, Harry Kotlar‘s grand son and head designer, discussing intricacies of the piece with the design team. After that the illustration is passed to the gouache artist to render the painting. From gouache painting to hand forging the metal, hand setting the diamonds and hand polishing the ring, everything is done by a small team of master artisans who have dedicated their lives to a specific element of jewelry-making to create the masterpiece that cradles the Heart of Oklahoma Diamond.

  • GOUACHE
  • HAND FORGING
  • HAND SETTING
  • HAND POLISHING
  • THE SURPRISE DISC

Harry Kotlar team went above and beyond to create an event that was exploring facets of art and style to showcase this masterpiece in an unprecedented way, beyond jewelry as we know it! Czarah Cabrera Creative Director and Director of Brand Management for Harry Kotlar had a vision in mind and that was Van Gogh’s Starry Night! Over the term of six month planning under her creative direction, the atrium in 101 Park Avenue is re imagined into a film and visual exhibit space using elements if scenes painted by Vincent Van Gogh. Yellow tones, twinkling colors of the night sky, blue waters and velvety blue sky applied to the space as tribute to The Heart of Oklahoma Diamond and homage to the jewelry design house’s long legacy of commitment to its pursuit of perfection and preserving the lost art of hand making the best jewels by its Italian master artisans.

  • Vincent Van Gogh Starry Night Inspiration
  • The 101 Park Avenue Atrium Transformation- Photography by VGM Social
  • Starry Night Theme – Photography by VGM Social
  • Vincent Van Gogh Starry Night Inspiration – Photography by Kat Antoniazzi
  • Starry Night – Photography by Kat Antoniazzi
  • Nova Williams illustrting designs live during the event – Photography by Courtney Buechle
  • Nova Williams illustrting designs live during the event – Photography by VGM Social
  • Photography by Ryan Magnani

Both Tracey and I had the pleasure of being invited to attend this spectacular event as guests of Harry Kotlar and B.C. Clark family, an unforgettable memory that we will cherish forever.

Bebe Bakhshi (Champagne Gem) Czarah Cabrera (Harry Kotlar)
Tracey Ellison (The Diamonds Girl)

Here you can watch a 3 minute film revealing the art of hand making the masterpiece by Harry Kotlar master artisans, co directed by Czarah Cabrera & Ace Salvador:

The Heart of Oklahoma Diamond meets The Art of A Handmade Masterpiece
]]> https://champagnegem.com/2019/11/the-heart-of-oklahoma-diamond-meets-the-art-of-a-handmade-masterpiece/feed/ 0 5496 Engagement Ring 101 https://champagnegem.com/2019/06/engagement-ring-101/ https://champagnegem.com/2019/06/engagement-ring-101/#comments Tue, 18 Jun 2019 03:48:37 +0000 https://champagnegem.com/?p=5337 Let’s dive into the world of bridal jewelry, focusing on the most important piece which is engagement ring, the beginning of everything!

In my opinion couples need to be involved in designing the ring, after all it is celebrating their love and has a very sentimental value in cherishing their relationship. Therefore my first recommendation is to propose with a loose stone in a beautiful box which will definitely sweep her off her feet and then create the perfect ring together. Unless you know exactly what she is looking for based on her pinterest or posts she likes on social media and finally if her best friend knows!

Different diamond shapes Photo credit: Champagne Gem

Here you will find a brief explanation on different shapes with sample designs to show how each one will look when set, but remember there are endless design possibilities, I tried to limit this post to classics and all time favorite settings in the past decade:

ROUND

  • ROUND: is the most sought after shape in diamonds because of its incomparable brilliance thanks to 57 facets that reflect the light and create sparkle and fire. (Not recommended for gemstones unless from a very high caliber)

Round Brilliant diamond engagement ring in Tiffany anniversary setting Photo credit: Tiffany & Co

SEMI ROUND

  • OVAL: is one of the most popular shapes from diamonds to gemstones, make sure in diamonds there is no bow tie present, if so you will see two black triangles in the middle of the stone. because of its elongated shape we have seen it grow more and more on brides.

Oval shape diamond ring Photo credit: Norman Silverman

  • PEAR: Usually looks larger than its stated carat weight because of its wider spread and given that more of the stone is shown from top view.

    Pear shaped diamond ring Photo credit: Harry Kotlar

  • MARQUISE: like oval and pear is perfect to make fingers look slender and long, their elongated shape is helping with this.

Marquise shape diamond ring Photo credit: Martin Katz

  • HEART: well its the symbol of love, do I need to say more? From diamonds to gemstones it looks gorgeous, one thing to be mindful is the proportions. Make sure it is not too slim or chubby, it has to be the perfect heart.

    Heart shaped diamond ring Photo credit: Graff

SQUARE CUT

  • CUSHION: is a square or square rectangle (elongated) shape stone with rounded corners, pillow shape hence the name and very romantic! If cut perfectly can shine as brilliant as a round. Usually has 58 facets.

    Cushion shape diamond ring Photo credit: Tiffany & Co

  • PRINCESS: this shape carries 57 or 76 facets and because of its pyramidal shape that has four bevelled sides, it creates more light dispersion than any other square shaped diamond. In recent years demand for princess cut has decreased which I think is solely because of its sharp corners and it only makes an statement when is in larger carat weights. It is getting harder and harder to find the perfect princess cut.

    Princess shape diamond ring Photo credit: Jean Dousset

  • RADIANT: is gaining more and more popularity both in diamonds and gemstones because of its scattered 70 facets that create a shattered glassy look in diamonds and bring out the best colors in gemstones and fancy color diamonds. If you like square or rectangular squere shape, this is the best alternative to cushion and princess.

    Radiant cut diamond ring Photo credit: Norman Silverman

STEP CUT

  • EMERALD: the most favorite in step cuts, both gemstones and diamonds although it has less sparkle because of geometric steps, but due to high clarity it is more transparent, sleek and elegant.

    Emerald cut diamond ring Photo credit: Norman Silverman

  • ASSCHER/SQUARE EMERALD: perfectly square shaped stone, actually an octagonal rather than emerald cut that is rectangular. Same characteristics in terms of sparkle and clarity.

    Asscher cut diamond ring Photo credit: Martin Katz

  • CARRE: comes in both square and rectangular, the main point of difference is its straight facets similar to steps and usually has sharp corners, this is my favorite shape in comparison to princess. It is making a come back slowly and because of its unusual facets it is gaining more attraction, absolutely will make a statement.

    Carre cut diamond ring Photo credit: Martin Katz

This is just an introductory post to engagement rings, if you need more information on diamonds, grading and color diamonds on following links:

https://champagnegem.com/2019/03/10/insight-into-diamonds-part-iii-grading/

https://champagnegem.com/2019/05/06/insight-into-diamonds-part-iv-fancycolordiamonds/

Please note all views expressed on this post are my own and do not represent opinions of any of the jewellers mentioned in this post.

]]> https://champagnegem.com/2019/06/engagement-ring-101/feed/ 3 5337 Forms Jewellery: A hidden jewel in Hong Kong https://champagnegem.com/2018/05/forms-jewellery-a-hidden-jewel-in-hong-kong/ https://champagnegem.com/2018/05/forms-jewellery-a-hidden-jewel-in-hong-kong/#comments Tue, 01 May 2018 00:30:09 +0000 https://champagnegem.com/?p=3136

Fun Facts about Hong Kong:

  • Hong Kong means “fragrant harbor” in Chinese, and Kowloon mean “nine dragons”
  • It is ranked fourth in a global billionaires list and has 64 residents with personal fortunes of over US$1 Billion
  • There are 263 islands in Hong Kong
  • Dim Sum originated here and means “touch the heart”
  • the glittering skyline has over 8,000 skyscrapers
  • it is home to jewelers extraordinaire….. FORMS JEWELERY

As much as we love the skyline, the islands, and dim sum, nothing compares with a visit to master jewelers Forms Jewellery . The founders, Tzvika Janover and Elad Assor, are no strangers to exceptional stones, coming from multi-generational families of diamond cutters. Recently, Gilly Strauss joined the executive team as CEO, bringing over 18 years of experience in luxury brand building and value creation to the Forms Family. No strangers to the FORMS brand, we excitedly planned to spend time in the FORMS Hong Kong workshop, eager to learn more about this extraordinary jeweler.

Before we share our experiences with you, lets backtrack a moment to understand why we are so passionate about this brand. Bear in mind that we spend all day every day viewing exceptional jewelry. Yet nothing ever prepares us for the thrill of seeing a new FORMS creation. Each piece is one of a kind, hand crafted, and includes diamonds and gemstones rarely seen elsewhere. Over and above this…it’s all about the design! A FORMS piece can be held from any angle, and the beauty will still captivate you. The details are astounding, and the brand strives to “seek perfection in every imaginable detail of every piece, calling them works of patience”.

The artisans in the workshop patiently handcraft the creations, turning exceptional designs into flawless pieces of jewelry. The design and production artisans work seamlessly together painstakingly handcrafting each step of the process. The resulting pieces are perfect for the FORMS woman, who is as individual, unique, and stylish as the FORMS jewelry she wears. Through the years the design team have evolved the FORMS signature, but the commitment to selecting unusual gemstones and working with precision cut diamonds (diamonds that are custom cut for a specific piece) remains constant.

With only 100 new pieces created each year, FORMS strive to make sure every design counts. The new FORMS collection is based on the ELEMENTS and subtly conveys images of fire, ice,earth and water.  First we saw the earrings, which are detailed, light, flexible, and elegant.

“DIAMOND CHANDELIERS” BY FORMS, REPRESENTING FIRE AND ICE: The earrings have a sense of weightlessness and light, and are exceptionally flexible, gently swaying with every movement! The design team worked hard to make sure they used the least amount of gold possible – when it comes to earrings, a few grams can make all the difference. The earrings are designed to be both statement pieces and exceedingly wearable. Wear them every day with ease…or on the red carpet with confidence!

"Diamond Chandeliers” by forms, representing fire and ice: all diamond earrings
“Diamond Chandeliers” by forms , representing fire and ice: diamond & ruby earrings

In addition to the earrings, we saw several new rings that are part of the new collection. We saw designs that have been influenced by both floral (earth) and fire (flame) elements. The new rings all have clean continuous lines, a look only achievable by hand carving each piece until it is exactly right.

“The Lotus” by forms in rose gold and inlaid pave diamond band
“The Lotus” by forms in rose gold and inlaid pave diamond band
“The Eternal Flame” by forms: a fancy vivid yellow diamond along with specifically cut precision cut) white diamonds
“The Eternal Flame” by forms: a fancy vivid yellow diamond along with specifically cut precision cut) white diamonds
]]> https://champagnegem.com/2018/05/forms-jewellery-a-hidden-jewel-in-hong-kong/feed/ 6 3136 Unique Gifts for the Holiday Season https://champagnegem.com/2016/12/unique-gifts-for-the-holiday-season/ https://champagnegem.com/2016/12/unique-gifts-for-the-holiday-season/#comments Mon, 12 Dec 2016 10:08:30 +0000 https://champagnegem.com/?p=2754

The Holidays are almost here and gifts are on our mind. Now is the time to show your family and friends how much you love them. So when it comes to making your selection, it is important to get the ideal gift!

People are presented with perfume, gloves, sweaters, and cell phones. In fact, there is a very wide variety of gifts one would consider. But, from all the options you have, unless you are getting them a new car, there is one which stands out and will always be remembered. That’s right, we are talking high-end diamond jewelry!

Leibish & Co Unique Gift Ideas

Diamond jewelry is one of those things that have been gifted for thousands of years, especially when it comes to displaying your love and respect. One can never go wrong with gifting jewelry. Unlike clothes or electronics, it can be worn every day, and it never gets old or out of date. In short, it us truly unforgettable and will be cherished for a lifetime.

Just think about it for a moment. No matter what her age, it will always be welcomed. Whether it is for your grandmother, mom, wife, or just someone you think deserves something truly special this Christmas, diamond jewelry will always win them over.

Keeping it Unique

The right piece is sometimes hard to find, as there really are so many different types of options out there. But, if you want something with a classic design but so unique it will stand out among everything else, consider fancy color diamonds. There is no doubt that upon receiving one of those magical pieces that a lot of love and thought was put into her gift.

Color is a big factor in choosing what you think works best. Think of colors they are particularly drawn to, colors they like to wear, or perhaps a color that will represent their personality. In addition to the remarkable beauty the colors show, there is a deep meaning in every color that exists. For example, red symbolizes ambition, strong will, and passion. Blue represents nobility and strength, while green symbolizes safety, harmony and growth. A popular color choice for diamonds is yellow as they symbolize joy, happiness, and intellect. If you aren’t sure what color they would enjoy best, choose a colored diamond that represents what you love most about their personality!

Jewelry Styles

Of course it’s important when choosing a jewelry piece for your loved one to keep in mind what you think they might like. Since they will be the one wearing this piece for many more years to come, it’s important that the jewelry reflects their personality and taste. One can never go wrong with a classic style, comprised of stunning styles of jewelry that will never go out of trend.

So now that you have decided that diamond jewelry is unquestionably the best present to give this holiday season, the question that remains now is what kind of jewelry?

For a person with simple tastes, perhaps they will enjoy heart shaped jewelry, to remind them of how much you love them. One of the many benefits of a simple piece of jewelry is that you can wear it every single day. They don’t need to ever take off their jewelry and it works with just about any type of outfit they would wear.

If your loved one is bold, consider a fine gemstone. These pieces can often be found with a deeper color and a little more presence. For example, a fine piece of emerald jewelry will be exactly what they are looking for. The stunning shade of emerald green will be sure to turn heads.

Lastly, if you are in the market for something extraordinarily rare, take a look at some Argyle Diamond jewelry. These pieces include the most spectacular and exclusive pink diamonds that exist. One thing you can be absolutely sure of is that no one else will have a piece like it.

If you are still not sure what you should get, check their social media sites and see if they have pinned or posted some jewelry designs they like. Chances are if they posted it on social media, they will love to get the real thing!

Check out all these pieces and more fancy colored diamond and gemstone jewelry at www.leibish.com. It’s time to wow your family this holiday season, after all they deserve it!

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